A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.
2014 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award Winner temple-news.com
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015
VOL. 93 ISS. 15
Passing the baton
Following a turbulent stretch, athletes say new women’s track & field coach Elvis Forde has fostered a positive environment.
I don’t “ foresee those
things ... under my watch. This is about what I want to do.
”
Elvis Forde | first-year women’s track & field coach
A
ANDREW PARENT Assistant Sports Editor s a kid from Barbados, Elvis Forde took a risk. He was a long-sprint specialist representing his country on the track at the Junior Olympic level, and collegiate track types based northward began to take
notice. Programs like Kentucky State, Seton Hall University and the University of Mississippi inquired about the future four-time AllAmerican’s services, but he ultimately settled on Murray State, located near Kentucky’s southern border. A St. Andrew native accustomed to Barbados’ tropical climate, Temple’s new track & field coach had his first eye-opening experience in the states by his first morning. “It was summer and obviously the night was nice and warm the evening I arrived [at Murray State],” Forde said. “But then by morning the temperature had dropped to probably the mid-50s and I still put on shorts and flip flops because the sun was shining bright. But when I opened the door, it was a whole different temperature
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
TOP: Elvis Forde oversees the women’s track & field team during a practice last Saturday. BOTTOM: Simone Brownlee (center) and her teammates train for the Maryland Invitational, which is scheduled for Jan. 17.
CLA dean resigns after seven years at the helm JOHN MORITZ The Temple News
The College of Liberal Arts will begin a national search next fall for a new leader, following a tumultuous year for the school that saw a much publicized fight to retain a divisive African American studies professor and the departure of Dean Teresa Soufas. Soufas announced her resignation last week in an email letter addressed to students, faculty and staff, citing health concerns and the advice of her doctors in Philadelphia and New Orleans, where she previously spent 21 years teaching in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane University. According to the letter and an official university statement, Soufas will begin a
NEWS - PAGES 2-3, 6
sabbatical to complete research on a book and several articles in her field of Spanish literature before returning to Temple to teach. Soufas said the sabbatical would last a year. “During my tenure here in the administration of CLA, I have felt the great honor of holding this position which has allowed me to work with each of you toward the goal of providing an exceptional research and learning experience for all members of the Temple University community,” Soufas’ note said. Soufas began her leadership of the CLA in July 2007, overseeing the development of several new programs – including in the fields of neuroscience and global studies – and a research budget that topped $15.5 million last year. But in the past two years, the college had struggled to contain internal turmoil within the historic African American studies Department, involving public struggles between two of the department’s professors.
LIFESTYLE - PAGES 7-8, 14-16
FORDE PAGE 17
Sued for tuition, parents fight back
ADMINISTRATion
Teresa Soufas, leaving due to health reasons, said she will return after a sabbatical.
and that was something I had to get used to quite quickly. That was a huge cultural shock for me.” Forde’s chance translated into a lengthy career on both the collegiate and professional level, along with a Division I coaching experience that spans four decades. He transferred to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1982 and helped set indoor and outdoor NCAA records in the 4x400-meter relay in his senior year. Forde made Olympic appearances for Barbados in 1984 and 1988 as a professional before kicking off his head-coaching career at Austin Peay State in 1989. “I was one that was never afraid to be a risk taker, and I knew that when I left [Barbados], I was just taking a big risk in terms of going over [to the U.S.] to compete,” Forde said. Forde was hired as Temple’s new track & field coach this past August, three months after Illinois State opted not to renew his contract after a 12-year coaching stint. He said the move didn’t feel like another risk. His arrival, though, has followed a period of relative turmoil for his new program.
Caitlyn Ricci’s parents are appealing a court order to pay their daughter’s $16,000 tuition. PATRICIA MADEJ Managing Editor
COURTESY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
Soufas’ tenure saw the creation of new programs and consecutive years of protests.
Following the retirement of African American Studies Chairman Nathaniel Norment in April 2012, Soufas was criticized by members of the department and local community for her appointment of a white woman to temporarily lead the department – well known for being the first of its kind in the country to offer doctorate degrees in 1987. Soufas countered that the faculty pick to lead the department, Temple dance professor Kariamu Welsh, was unacceptable because she was not a member of the department or college. Following a series of
CLA PAGE 6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - PAGES 9-13
With the help of a GoFundMe site, senior Temple student Caitlyn Ricci’s divorced parents are fighting back a court order to pay their daughter’s $16,000 out-of-state tuition for the 2013-14 academic year. This domestic legal battle began after Ricci moved out of her mother’s New Jersey home into her grandparents’ in February 2013. Earlier in December, a Superior Court judge ordered her parents, Michael Ricci and Maura McGarvey, to pay for their daughter’s $906 tuition to Rowan College at Gloucester County, according to the Inquirer. Only McGarvey has paid
HIV research continuing
Harvesting better relationships
Photojournalists ring in new year
After successfully removing the virus from cells in July, researchers now seek to replicate the results in entire organisms. PAGE 6
The Intentional Housing Program aims to better situate students within their surrounding community. PAGE 7
David Maialetti organized an endof-the-year photo show to foster the photo community in Philadelphia. PAGE 9
OPINION - PAGES 4-5 Police body camera debate
her half of the $906, Caitlyn Ricci’s lawyer, Andrew Rochester, said. The appeal process, which could take over a year, will buy McGarvey and Michael Ricci some time before any further court action is taken to have them pay the $16,000. “They seem to believe they’re above the law,” Rochester said of Caitlyn Ricci’s parents. New Jersey laws state that determining a “parental obligation” to a pay a child’s college tuition requires consideration of “relevant case law and statutes.” Rochester said cases like this are not unusual. During the midst of the court hearings, McGarvey set up a WordPress site titled “The
SPORTS - PAGES 17-20
RICCI PAGE 6
Owls flourish during break